


i try to talk refined/for fear that you'd find out

by whackamacka



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: M/M, Revalink - Freeform, also link is mute, dedicated to revalink gc on twitter ily, honestly i have no idea but, mentions of skyward sword and demise's curse, might be ooc???, mute link my beloved, no editing we die like men, revali is gay pining, zelda at the end bc i love her
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29738259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whackamacka/pseuds/whackamacka
Summary: It was a shame, really. The very hero of legend, unaware of his own dismaying importance.“How are you qualified for this job if you don't even know what it entails?"-Link doesn't know about the legend of the hero, the princess, and the Calamity. Revali ever so thoughtfully enlightens him.inspired by Hozier's Talk
Relationships: Link/Revali (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 42





	i try to talk refined/for fear that you'd find out

**Author's Note:**

> enjoy lgbt community
> 
> if u see mistakes/errors no u didn't
> 
> this was purely for my own self indulgence and i am not much of a fic writer anymore ;;

“You don’t _know_?” The Rito asked, stunned.

What sort of knight--in fact, the princess’s appointed knight--didn’t know the very basics of Hyrulean history, most importantly, the legend that the miscreant just so happened to be a part of! _How...asinine!_

Of course, he couldn’t be too surprised. Rumor had it that the boy was from the countryside, on the outskirts of Hyrule. Hylians tended to neglect their fellow countrymen in terms of education if they resided outside of Castle Town. It was a shame, really. The very hero of legend, unaware of his own _dismaying_ importance. 

“How are you qualified for this job if you don't even know what it entails?" 

That earned Revali a small huff from said hero of legend. Still, silence. What a pretentious little...he didn't know basic mythology, and still had the audacity to think he was _better_ than everyone? 

"It would be too time-consuming to get you a teacher. Not that they could help mold your tiny little Hylian brain this late. The princess is the next best thing, but we all know her feelings about you."

He saw Link tense slightly, his lips twitching downward. Though unreadable to many people, he had studied this puny knight's face long enough to be an expert in recognizing the tiny movements. Rito had quite the observation skills, anyway. He hadn’t quite figured out what they meant, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try to.

"It’s very important for a so-called warrior such as yourself to know your enemy; you can’t fight efficiently if you have no idea what you’re up against!” He exclaimed. 

Skeptical, Link slowly raised his hands to sign. _I do not need to kn-_

Revali waved him off with a wing. "Nonsense. Of course you need to know. Thankfully for you, I have a superior knowledge of the very legends. Listen closely. You'll thank me later!" The Rito could just imagine it...Link bowing his head in shame like he always does. Perhaps he'd thank him out loud, and apologize for being an egotistical prick. That he, Revali, was the superior Champion, and that Link was _dying_ to be friends with him. He absolutely _reveled_ in the idea. 

As if Link was a little hatchling awaiting a story, he sat down cross-legged on the landing. He looked up at Revali expectantly, with eyes that said _Well, go on then._

“I presume you haven’t heard of Calamity Ganon--oh, you know, the primeval being of darkness. Yes, you are _merely_ parrying with evil incarnate. Can’t be so bad for someone like you, eh? The royal family of Hyrule and Ganon are very closely intertwined. Every so often, this evil--oh, it's awfully persistent--comes back and threatens to destroy Hyrule. Ten thousand years ago, legend so has it that Hyrule was an advanced civilization. Thanks to the Sheikah tribe, who are as talented in their sciences as the Rito are talented in aerial combat, technology made it so that you little Hylians could grow overconfident. Monsters were hardly a problem. In fact, they created the very Divine Beasts! My own Vah Medoh!”

The Rito’s chest puffed out as he gestured widely to the Divine Beast, hovering above Rito Village. He took a moment to revel in its glory; it was Hyrule’s greatest wonder. Such a machine with the ability to fly among the clouds. It was deservingly free, with no ties to the land, no reason to fly back down from the infinite blue skies. Revali hated to admit that he was jealous of the giant machine. How he wished he could fly and never come back down. 

Ensuring that Link had gawked at the Divine Beast for long enough, he continued: 

“Not only that, but they built hundreds of war machines they called Guardians. I’m sure you’ve seen them, if you’ve been paying _any_ sort of attention recently. All of these machines were deliberately created for one purpose: to aid the hero and the princess in defeating Ganon and sealing him away. Like yours truly, Champions were chosen to pilot these Divine Beasts. Still back then, I have no reason to doubt that Vah Medoh’s power surpassed the other three. Simply, the advantage of flight makes it untouchable in ground combat. Now-” Revali paused as he felt a tug on his scarf, and looked down just as Link let go and bowed his head apologetically. 

Though his face was its usual irritatingly blank slate, his hand movements were frantic. _You’re saying that this has happened before? And he’s coming back?_

“You didn’t let me _finish_ ,” Revali hissed, “Of course this has happened before. Although, I can safely say that the past heroes are more capable than _you_. It’s almost a disgrace to your little line of ancestors. When a hero of the skies defeated whom they called the Demon King--a bit of a cliché name, if you ask me--he proclaimed that he would be reborn once again. A reincarnation we both know as Calamity Ganon. And with him, those with the blood of the Goddess and those with the spirit of the Hero would be trapped in a cycle of rebirth. So really, I’d blame them for your destiny. If you live long enough in battle to see it.”

Link seemed to be long in thought, his blonde eyebrows knitted together. Ah, so he was capable of thinking.

 _I didn’t_ … The puny knight paused, _Didn’t know it was that big of a deal. Just…_

Revali rolled his eyes. “You pulled a legendary sword and then say it's not that big of a deal? Give me a break. Men would die for the chance to be you.” He narrowed his eyes, “Is this something you _never_ wanted?” How peculiar that a knight wouldn’t want to be the greatest, the most legendary man in Hyrule!

_I pulled a sword when I was thirteen. That is all I did._

Oh, so he admits he didn’t earn this position? Although...there was sympathy for him. It seemed that neither him nor the princess had a choice. Just a little bit. He still hardly earned the role. 

“As did the heroes of the past. Hylia picks them young, that’s for certain,” He replied bitterly, “Always the same Hylian boy. I don’t see why he can’t be reborn as a Rito--now _that_ would be remarkable! Far, far better. The legends say he even looked the same-” His eyes fell upon the knight now, and his frown deepened. “Still the same disgustingly windswept hair, the color of goldenrod. Or perhaps a deep yellow ochre. Wild and messy. I doubt he's ever heard of a hairbrush. While the princess with the blood of the Goddess was ethereal, the hero...why, he looked just _divine_ . Perhaps the best of you little Hylians. The tapestries failed to illustrate just how _blue_ his eyes are. I'd be plucked to see the difference between his eyes and a robin's egg..." 

Link coughed, but it sounded more like a choking sound. The Rito had barely realized his eyes were still trained on the Hylian. When he finally came to his senses, he noticed that Link had turned a brilliant shade of scarlet. It even colored his ears, which twitched in the cool wind of the Tabantha region. 

"What? Why are you holding in your breath?" 

Then a noise escaped. Followed by another. The knight clamped a hand over his mouth, but the noise threatened to escape between his fingers. By the time Revali had realized he was _laughing_ , the fleeting sound had disappeared. All that was left was a few pathetic trembles of his shoulders that indicated there could've been more. Maybe his heart tugged a little at that. Just maybe the soft laugh made him yearn to hear more, even at his own expense. 

Revali swallowed these thoughts down, and merely scoffed. "Are you _laughing_ at me? After I so graciously offer you my knowledge-" 

Link tugged on his scarf again. This boy was getting too comfortable. He had removed his hand from his mouth, jaw clenched. The remnants of a smile were still on his lips, and he watches as they ever so slightly curl up. It absolutely pleased him to see that he was starting to slip up, to brush past his inflated little ego. 

_Not at all. Are my eyes blue like a robin's egg too? Just like the hero of legend?_

With the smug smile tugging at the corners of Link's lips, Revali suddenly became aware of his own mishap. _Oh...oh no…he screwed up._ He swallowed an even harder lump down his throat; the “hero of legend” wasn’t supposed to hear that. 

"I never said that! Your eyes are bluer anyway—can't you tell the difference between robin's egg blue and sky blue?" 

He dug himself further into a hole. How was he going to explain how he knew the exact shade of his eyes? If he was a Hylian–and Hylia save him if he was ever cursed with such a life–he was certain his face would've been less redder than Link's.

At least one of them could keep composure.

The sound returned, but louder. A childish giggle, muffled yet again by a hand. The _sky blue_ eyes glimmered up at him, and that was Revali's undoing. 

He got the little knight to actually laugh. It was soft, clearly repressed, but he was _laughing._ A wave of pride washed over him, but something else started to rise in his chest. Something crushing, choking. 

Has anyone else performed this feat? Surely not. Not even the princess. And _that_ made the sound that much sweeter. 

"Well...do you?" 

Link made direct eye contact as he signed slowly. _Can't say I do. I do know the difference between grass green and emerald green, though._

Surely he wasn't talking about the green-eyes princess here, Revali thought as an unintelligible noise rose from his throat and Link began to laugh softly again. 

And maybe he'd allow this humiliation...even at his own expense. 

-

The princess, after her long discussion with the Rito chief, would find the two on the landing. 

They would be quiet as they sat with their legs (and talons) dangling over the ledge. A comfortable silence would hang in the air, and Zelda couldn't help but wonder what had transpired. 

As soon as she would approach, the Rito would jump to his feet, his feathers puffed out. He’d deny of any communication with Link, and scold the princess for thinking so. 

But the still-flushed stare at Revali’s back that told her everything that they wouldn't say.

**Author's Note:**

> goodnight revalink nation


End file.
